Yudhoyono to be named special advisor for Prabowo's election bid

News Desk

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta

Jakarta, posted: Wed, September 12, 2018 | 05:16 pm

Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second left) and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto shake hands as they pose before journalists after a meeting in Yudhoyono's private residence in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on July 24.(Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)

Democratic Party patron and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will be named a special advisor to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, a contender to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the 2019 presidential election, a party executive said on Wednesday.

"[Yudhoyono] will be [Prabowo's] special advisor, not an advisor to the campaign team, but the presidential candidate's own [...] special mentor," said Ferdinand Hutahaean, the head of the Democratic Party's advocacy and legal division, on Wednesday.

Yudhoyono's son Agus Harimurti, meanwhile, would join Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno's campaign team as a juru kampanye nasional (national campaigner) and member of the steering committee, Ferdinand said as quoted by kompas.com.

The Dems, along with the Gerindra Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), are backing the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno ticket in the 2019 election, challenging Jokowi and his running mate, Muslim cleric Ma'ruf Amin.

Recently, however, the Democratic Party was accused of playing both sides after it allegedly said it would grant "dispensation" for the party's executive members in certain regions who voiced their support for Jokowi. The party has denied the accusation.

Ferdinand said Yudhoyono was scheduled to hold a meeting with Prabowo and Sandiaga at the party patron's house in Jakarta on Wednesday evening, during which they would discuss the candidate pair's national campaign strategy. (afr/ahw)